May 12, 2023

I played hooky this week.

A decade ago, even a few years ago, I might have felt guilty about it. I would not have even considered saying “yes” to skipping out on the daily grind—to stop staring anxiously at the never-ending To Do List with a kind of magical thinking that being persistent and productive, that getting one more thing done, was going to make a real difference. Chaining myself to the idea that being present at the desk—rather than to myself— was going to solve the sticky problem.

Well, it’s not true. And I know it.

And that’s the problem, we “know” that taking a break, even just a few micro-pauses in the day (look out the window, take a walk around the block, sit for a moment in mindful meditation, take two minutes to breathe deeply) helps us be more efficient, clear, and innovative.

But the challenge is to practice what we know. To embody it, to materialize the knowing in our daily actions and decisions. This is also to be resolute in the face of capitalism’s voracious speed and consumption of our attention, our time, our bodies and minds.

So this week I chose to sail past the To Do List into the oneness of flow in the wind and waves.

And wouldn’t you know it. I feel more productive now that I am back at my desk.